Newspaper vending machines principally of the semi-honor type are in wide usage. Such vending machines have a normally locked access door which is released for opening by the placement of proper coins in a conventional coin mechanism. The problem with these machines is that once the access door is released, there is nothing to prevent the customer or someone else from removing all of the newspapers from the storage compartment, and, unfortunately, such theft is widespread.
It is the object of this invention to deal with this problem in a simple and economical manner by provision of a conversion kit, by means of which existing semi-honor machines can be converted to theft-proof machines, in which a customer can receive only a single newspaper following the placement of proper coins in the coin mechanism and the manual operation of a secure and reliable dispensing or delivery mechanism.
In accordance with the invention, the forward and rear doors and the top wall of an existing semi-honor machine are removed. A new top wall is riveted into place and mounts a somewhat relocated standard coin mechanism at the top of the machine. A horizontal storage compartment for newspapers is mounted at the location of the removed front and rear doors and may extend both forwardly and rearwardly of the existing main cabinet body. In the illustrated embodiment the compartment is terminated at the rear wall of the existing main cabinet but extends forwardly of the cabinet front wall.
The storage compartment includes a fixed forwardly open box-like housing and a horizontally reciprocable rearwardly open box-like housing section telescoped within the fixed housing. The reciprocating housing section mounts the customer-operated newspaper delivery device as well as a pulling handle for this housing section which is spring-urged inwardly. The reciprocating housing section has a direct connection with the lock and release member of the standard coin control mechanism.
The stored newspaper within the two part housing rest on their folded edges in a steeply inclined attitude and are urged forwardly against a fixed abutment by a track-mounted spring-driven carriage which compensates for variations in newspaper thickness and gradual diminishment of the stack. A customer-operated lever lifts each forwardmost newspaper slightly to release it from behind the abutment and deliver it downwardly with the assistance of gravity through an outlet slot which is created only after the release and forward displacement of the reciprocating housing section and the simultaneous displacement of a retaining flange carried by the reciprocating housing section. A self-adjusting spring means on the reciprocating housing section bears against the upper portion of the newspaper stack to stabilize it and assure the delivery of papers one at a time to customers.
The invention also provides a unique locking system which may be opened by authorized personnel to load the storage compartment with newspapers in a convenient manner.